Wielder of the Galaxystar
by SakuraZane
Summary: [I suck at summeries]A Sailor Moon LOTR crossover. A young girl discovers that her life as a Sailor Scout was just a cover for a greater purpose, one which will lead her to love, adventure and a new life. R&R Plz! UPDATED! CHAPTER 4 IS UP!
1. Starcrossed

A/N: Hey gang. Its me, SakuraZane! This is my take on LOTR, with some Sailor Moon thrown in. Yeah, I know it sounds like a weird combo but just bare wit me. Besides, they're both fantasy, right? RIGHT? ::crickets chirp:: Oh, just read it!  
  
Disclaimer: Do I HAVE to put one of these here? grumblegrumble Oh, alright. I don't own LOTR or Sailor Moon. They belong to their respective creators so PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!!! Serenity-Zane is MY character, though. So NO STEALING. I'll have to get serious if you do! ::points finger o' death::

Allrighty! On with the fic!

Chapter 1: Starcrossed

Serenity-Zane Starcatcher stood on the icy wasteland, filled with horror and sorrow that threatened to devour what little remained of the young girl's reserve. Her slender, supple frame was bowed over in the frigid wind. Numerus cuts and bruises marred her once smoothe skin. And she was alone. Dead. They were all dead. Amy, Lita, Mina, Rei, Serena . . . All the Sailor Scouts, slaughtered by the nefarious Queen Beryl in a final, failed battle for Earth and all her inhabitants.  
  
Serenity-Zane fell to her knees in the snow, heedless of the cold seeping into her flesh. Her long waistlength silver hair fell forward to hide her face, black-dyed bangs flutting with every shivery breath. Tears fell from her sapphire blue eyes and rolled down her smooth cheeks, freezing in the arctic chill. Queen Beryl . . . the evil witch had destroyed them all! And they'd fought so hard, down to the last. Serena had been the last to fall, even transformed into her most powerful incarnation she'd been unable to deflect the awful blast of immense power sent hurtling towards her by the Negaverse Queen's hand. Serena was supposed to have been the Universe's savior, the one who would blot evil from the world and bring about the Silver Millenium, the era of peace. But it was not to be. Sailor Moon had fallen with the others. Fallen like the lonely flakes of snow in this barren waste. And soon the world would fall with her.  
  
"How pathetic," came a voice over the driving wind. Serenity-Zane jumped slightly at the gloating voice that was emanating from the fallow depths behind her, and turned around. "The oh so powerful Sailor Scouts, thinking they could defeat me! Ha! The fools!" Queen Beryl stood behind, her red eyes like orbs of hellfire in the evilness of her vile, smirking face. "But what have we here? The infamous Sailor Starcatcher, Wielder of the Galaxystar? Galaxystar indeed!"  
  
Serenity-Zane looked down at the aforementioned object. Resting right over her heart, sparkling like starlight on the bow of her silver and black Sailor Suit, was the Galaxystar, the powerful locket from which her powers came. It was round and made up of a base cut from the blackest, most highly polished obsidian. On its surface were nine shards of crystal arranged in the shape of a star, and they sparkled and shone as if the very stars of the Milky Way were caught within them. In the very center of the crystal star was another crystal, this one black, round and very smooth, and bordered with silver. In the spaces between the crystals and the edge of the locket was a graceful tracery of script in a strange language that no one seemed to know. The writing looked as if it had been wrought in silver, but the fine lines glimmered and flashed like no metal she had ever seen. It was almost white, like trapped moonlight. It had been given to her long ago by her mother, just before she died. She remembered her mother's words so clearly, even though she had only been a child at the time. "Take this locket, my precious child," she'd said. "It will aid you in your most desperate hour, and light the way when darkness seems to cover all. Do not try to open it, for it will unlock itself when the right time comes." Soon after, her mother been mysteriously killed. No one knew why or how, and the Galaxystar was all that Serenity-Zane had left of her. She remembered when she found the lifeless, bloody body of the woman that had given her life. All the memories of that horrible day came flooding back to her, melding with the new raw reminiscences that would be left behind by this bloody day.  
  
Queen Beryl cackled menacingly. The red-haired sorceress'ruby red eyes snapping gleefully. "That cheap little piece of jewelry may have protected you thus far, but your time is running out. Too bad that useless bauble couldn't save your friends. Or your mother."  
  
"W-what?" Serenity-Zane gasped.  
  
"Oh yes, I remember the day that pitiful woman found that trinket. She originally intended to use it as a weapon to defeat me. She knew those silly Sailor Scouts were too weak to hold off my power for long, so she found an object that supposedly gave great power to it's wielder, enough power to purify all the evil in this Universe. But she couldn't use it. She didn't have the power. However, she discovered that you did. You were one of the Lost Sailor Scouts, chosen to use it to its full power. She passed it on to you as protection until you were old enough to be taught its history and its true purpose. Haha! To bad she died ever so mysteriously before that time came."  
  
Serenity-Zane watched as an evil smile came to the malicious witch's face. "Y-you . . . you killed my mother?!" Queen Beryl's answering laugh filled her with loathing and hate.  
  
"You should have heared your mother scream! She begged me to spare your life. The sound of blood chocking her throat as she died was marvelous."  
  
Serenity-Zane felt the sorrow and the anguish being pressed away, forced down by a wellspring of anger and rage. Rage at all she had been put through. Rage at what had been done to her friends. Rage for her mother. Her crystalline eyes flashed angrily, their dark ocean blue depths becoming an icy blue so light they were almost clear. She struggled to her feet in the glacial wind, her silver hair whipping in the wind. Her usually carefree face was transformed from its usual soft expression intoa one of pure fury, a cold flaming wrath so frightful that the heaven's themselves would've fled her formidable countenance. The Galaxystar, as if awakened by the raw swelling of emotion welling up from its owner, began to glow and pulse in time to her heartbeat. Queen Beryl's laughter died in her throat as she watched the scene before her. Sailor Starcatcher was drawing on the power of the Galaxystar, and the Galaxystar was in turn drawing on the power of its owner. They were one.  
  
"No," Queen Bearyl hoarsely cried. "It can't be."  
  
Serenity-Zane Starcatcher stood like a phoenix of silver fire burning furiously upon the snow. Her eyes burned like white crystal coals, their cold heat piercing anything they gazed upon. As if summoned by the sheer power of her rage, the howling winds about her began to circle around her form, escalating in force thanks to the awesome power of the Sailor Senshi in their midst . Queen Beryl drew back and shielded her face with her arms as the winds began to buffet and lash against her. The very air pulsated with energy. The ire within the young girl seemed to take corporeal shape, as if her anger were a living thing. "I WILL DEFEAT YOU!!!" she screamed. She pulled the Galaxystar from her uniform and raised it to the sky. She cried out in a loud voice, "_Y'ADOS LA PETRONIA SK'DAN EA_!" There was a deafening boom and an effulgent flash of silver light so bright that even the sun would have been beaten back by its blazing radiance. Queen Beryl was thrown to the ground, cursing and spitting. Through the halo of illumination, she could see the outline of the girl, her lithe and sinuous form backlit by a spherical nimbus of silver rays. She seemed to float there, bathed in a living glow, while smoky wisps and tendrils of sparks and light spiralled around her, wrapping around her figure as if clothing her in stardust. There was another brilliant flash of light, and then silence. Queen Beryl opened her eyes, and the sight that met them filled her with awe and terror.  
  
Serenity-Zane stood in the same place, but she was changed. She was both fearsome and beautiful, like a burgeoning storm in all its ferocity and glory. Even the scraping winter winds had died down in obeisance to her splendor. Gone was the silver and black Sailor Suit. In its place was a gown of black silk, velvet and gossamer, dark as the space between the stars and sheer and light as mist. Its edges were knitted with silver thread in elaborate star-shaped patterns, and studded with diamonds and crystals. Around her slender waist was a wide belt made of of silver fabric, attached by silver hoops and chains and strings of pearls and crystals that flashed and twinkled like tiny galaxies. Her hair was no longer silver, but white, billowing and flowing around her head like a pale nimbus of moonlight seen through a pool of liquid crystal. The two long bangs of black still hung down on either side of her face, but they were braided now with twine of silver string with pearls, crystals and star- shaped charms hooked into it. Her skin had taken on a pale ivory cast, smooth and perfect as polished marble, umblemished as a newborn's. All of the cuts and bruises had disappeared Tiny little pinpoints of light shone on the skin of her arms and face, as if she had been annointed with precious oils spangled with glitter dust. Even her fingernails reflected her newfound power, for they were long and smooth, and in the center of each nail was set a tiny crystal jewel. Her eyes were large and dark, her irises like looking glasses reflecting the deepness of space. Stars and galaxies and rainbow-colored nebulas swam within them, as did Infinity, and the wisdom of eons past. On her forehead was an elaborate star-shaped mark that seemed tatooed in metallic ink, and in the very center of the mark was a small round jewel. A tine star-shaped mark rested on the skin just beneath the corner of her left eye. Each ear had four piercings and earrings of silver, pearl and crystal dangled from her ears. In one hand she held a long staff made of ivory and carved with delicate patterns and star-shaped runes. The top of the staff was mounted with a large jagged clear chunk of crystal which had a perfectly carved black crystal which seemed to float inside it. It was the Staff of Polaris, the energy of the Guiding Star made tangible. Around her slender neck and shoulders she wore a large intricate silver necklace of delicate chains and large hoops studded with crystals and pearls, created by hands infinitely more skilled than any living human's, and hanging from this masterpiece, blazing and resplendent as a supernova, was the Galaxystar.  
  
Serenity-Zane called out in a voice that wasn't her own, but seemed more powerful, more ageless, as if all the knowledge and power that had been gathered throughout all the ages of all the worlds were laden behind that voice. "I am Neo-Queen Serenity-Zane Starcatcher, Senshi of the Milky Way, Wielder of the Galaxystar which is the Crystal Flame of Cosmos, Weaver-of- Stars, Bearer of the Staff of Polaris and Holder of the Silver Thread of Heaven. I am drawn by Evil, and Evil flees my Light. Queen Beryl, your evil has gone on long enough. Too many have suffered at your hands, but I have come to put an end to your reign of terror." The dark, caliginous eyes drilled into her very being, and in them Queen Beryl saw Eternity. And Death.  
  
Queen Beryl babbled inchorently, struggling to scramble away from the holy wrath being directed at her, but she didn't get far. Serenity-Zane pointed the Staff of Poloaris at the floundering sorceress, and from it came a magnificent pall of silver light and a blast of energy. It shattered the earth whereever it touched, and struck the queen with incredible force.  
  
"NO! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED LIKE THIS!!!" She threw out her own blast of power to deflect Serenity-Zane's attack, but she could not hold it off for long. "Fool! You may think you have beaten me," she growled over the roar of the two combatting energies. "But there is another time, another place where I will rule supreme. You may destroy me here, but I live on elsewhere, and you can never follow me there. I'll return to wreck my vengeance, mark my words!"  
  
"Be silent, foul, fork-toungued creature! I shall vanquish you in the name of the Cosmos. For my mother! For my friends! FOR EARTH!!!" With a last angry force of will strengthened her blast, and finally Queen Beryl dissappeared in a pall of white light, her final scream of rage and defeat echoing across the land.

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Well, that's the end of chapter one! You like? Of course you do! Gimme good reviews, and I shall be eternally yours! ::bats eyelashes::


	2. Enlightenment

Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life  
  
-- Evanescence, _Bring Me to Life  
_

Chapter 2: Enlightenment  
  
Serenity-Zane Starcatcher had been victorious. Queen Beryl had been vanquished from the land, and the Earth was now safe. The sixteen-year-old brushed a platinum wisp of hair away from her face, her fathomless eyes deepening in thought. Something about Queen Beryl's final words troubled her.  
  
_You may think you have beaten me. But there is another time, another place where I will rule supreme. You may destroy me here, but I live on elsewhere, and you can never follow me there. I'll return to wreck my vengeance, mark my words!  
_  
Serenity-Zane shook her head, pulling herself out of her reverie. Those words meant nothing. They were simply the dying words of a desperate villian. Now that the battle was over, her mind returned to the present, and she had time to observe how her once happy, carefree life, all her hopes and dreams, had been shattered. They were all gone, and she was alone. A single crystal tear rolled down her cheek. _Am I doomed to be alone?  
_  
Just then the thought came to her, dark and unrelenting. She had nothing now. Nowhere to go, no one to love her. Her only friends had been the Sailor Scouts, and even though they had been a little jealous of her powers, they still loved her for her caring personality and her sharp wit. She had never known her father and had no other family. Even school would provide her with no safe haven, for all the students made it a point to harass and tease her at every opportunity, even though she tried so hard to be their friends. No, there was nothing left for her, and no reason for her to go on living. If being happy meant ending her short life, then she would do so, and die comforted with the knowledge that Earth and the Universe would be safe because of her. She lifted the Staff of Polaris and turned it toward her heart. She mumbled an incantation and the tip of the staff began to glow. She closed her weeping eyes, and steeled herself for the blast that would turn her heart to ash and free her from the pain of her existance. _Mother . . . friends . . . I'll be with you soon . . .  
_  
_/STOP!!!/_  
  
Serenity-Zane gasped and her eyes flwe open at the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. "W-what . . .?"  
  
_/Stop, my child, there is no need to end your life so rashly. There is much for you to do yet./ _The strange female voice seemed to be everywhere at once. It reverberated like the song of the East Wind, blowing through chimes and flutes of crystal. In it was wisdom and music and a sense of unfathomable love. Serenity-Zane turned this way and that, desperately trying to find the source of the voice.  
  
"Here, child."  
  
Serenity-Zane gasped again, for the owner of the voice was suddenly before her, appearing in a golden shower of light. The golden-haired woman was tall and lovely, dressed in white from head to toe. There was something about her that was strange and different, and then she noticed. The woman's ears. They were POINTED! Serenity's eyes widened. The woman smiled at the girl's surprise, and the black of the sky above seemed to shrink away from the light of that glorious visage. There was something so familiar about this woman, something Serinity couldn't put a finger on.  
  
"Serenity-Zane Starcather. It's been so long, my child."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The woman's golden head tipped graciously. "Allow me to introduce myself, precious one. I am called 'Lady of Light.' But you may call me Galadriel."  
  
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And that does it for chapter 2. Sorry for the shortness of it, but I've got a lot of RL stuff getting in the way (grrrrr, school sux! --'). The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Our heroine gets to meet some special guests, and one of them starts taking a liking to her. Hmmm, who could these strangers be? What startling new revelations are in store? Stay tuned to find out! Ja ne!


	3. EnlightenmentPart 2

A/N: Hey everyone, it's me again! I just want to thank everyone for all the good reviews! Keep the good comments flowin' and I'll keep the ficcy goin! LOL! Well, enough of my boring yammering, on with the fic!

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_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

_--Evanescence, My Immortal_  
  
Chapter 3: Enlightenment-Part 2  
  
Serenity-Zane stood staring at the woman in shock and confusion. "I-I don't understand . . ." What was this? Some strange hallucination? Perhaps in her grief and anguish, in the last onerous milliseconds of misery and woe before she'd resorted to ending her own life, her subconcious had pulled from her mind some sort of comforting apparition, something that would divert her attention away from her pain. Or perhaps it was a trick. Maybe Queen Beryl's words really did ring the cacophonous bell of truth, and this was some sort of evil ploy devised by the wicked Queen. Well, Serenity-Zane would not fall for it.  
  
"BACK!!! Away, evil creature!" she yelled, aiming her deadly staff at the witch. Power gathered at the crystal tip, power enough to put a stop to Beryl and her machinations once and for all. "You are only a conjurer of cheap parlor tricks! You cannot fool me."  
  
She was satisfied to see a glint of fear, hastily hidden, in the woman's eyes. But the woman did not move. "I understand your wariness, but you must not give in to fear. Understand that I am here to help you. You must trust me." There was a note of pleading, of desparation in her voice. "Our future depends on your trust. Your mother should have been the one to tell you of such things, but I'm afraid she left us all too soon."  
  
The young girl's shadowy eyes widened just a bit, and she dropped her staff slightly. "What do you know of my mother?"  
  
Galadriel's cerulean eyes grew misty with sorrow, and her musical voice took on a sad, wistful note. "I know much about the Lady Andromeda. More than anyone, save her mother and father. She was the fairest of us all, deep and lovely as twilight, and even the stars sang her glory. She was my opposite in many ways. Here hair was straight and dark as a raven's wing against a midnight sky, and her eyes were pools of onyx. Yet in her manner and her love of life she was every bit as bright and warm as the gold upon the leaves of the great Mallorn tree." She sighed, a sound as forlorn as the spring-loving winds blowing over hills locked in winter's chill. "Yes, Sailor Starcatcher, I know all there was to know about your mother, for she was my twin sister."  
  
Serenity-Zane felt her heart skip a beat. "No . . . what you speak cannot be truth. My mother was an only child, we had no other family. How can this be possible? Do you seek to decieve me?"  
  
"Look into your heart, child, you know it to be true. And look into mine. You have that ability, deep inside you."  
  
Serenity-Zane listened to Galadriel's words, and something insider her being stirred. It was as if something had awakened inside her, and she was drawn to it, her will on a silver thread leading into some warm core buried within her spirit. She reached for that warm essence, and like a crystal flower it opened at her touch, bathing her soul in light and warmth. It was then that she knew. She knew Galadriel spoke the truth.  
  
As if reading her mind, Galadriel spoke up. "Yes, child, you have found it. The _calanthias_, the true heart of your power. It resides in soul of all elves, and is the source of our powere. Our people are blessed with abilities which transcend those of mortal men. Such is the power of the Elves."  
  
" . . . OUr people . . . elves . . . I'm -- an elf?"  
  
"Yes, we are Elvenkind, you and I, as was your mother, and we come from a land which is far removed from this one, though they be sister worlds. Your true home is a place called Middle Earth, and your home, your people, wait anxiously for you. We are living in a time of great peril. You are the only one with the power to fend off the evil forces afflicting our world. You are the only one pure enough to cleanse the filth of our enemies. After much debate, it was decided that the time had come to bring the Lost One home. That is who I was sent to find. That Lost One is you, Serenity-Zane Starcatcher. You must take your righful place, and help us in this war."  
  
Serenity-Zane's voice shook. "This -- this is so much. So much for me to take in." Her dark eyes began to fill with tears. "It is as if my life is running away from me, out of control! Why did I not end my life, that I might avoid such a burden as the one you place before me?!" She covered her face with her slender hands, and began to weep bitter tears.  
  
"Please, do not despair so, sister-daughter. There is purpose to your life, and you must see it through. But you will not be alone. All will be revealed to you in due time. But now, it is time we left this place. Your work in this world is done, and the inhabitants of this place will sing your praises throughout time. But there is much in Middle Earth that needs sorting out. The shadow that grew here has stretched like a storm cloud over the skies of our land, and you are the key to defeating that darkness. Without you, we will fail. Will you come?"  
  
Serenity-Zane let the words of the Elven woman sink in. Here she had nothing. No friends, no family. Yet Galadriel -- Aunt Galadriel -- had practically handed her a new life. A life perhaps fraught with danger and peril, but also one brimming with possibilities. A new world, a family, and clues to her past, a past she'd never even known, just waiting to be uncovered. She hesitated only a little, her deep, galactic eyes lightening as determination locked within her. "Yes. I will come."  
  
Galadriel smiled. Good, my child. Very good. You have your mother's strength. Lady Andromeda would be so proud."  
  
Serenity-Zane turned her head toward the battlefield around them, her milky hair billowing about her face, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "Yes," she whispered, as if speaking to any spirits that lingered in that haunted place. "Yes, she would." She returned her attention to Galadriel. "But how do we get to where we're going?"  
  
"You have the key. You just need to know how to use it." Galadriel pointed to the locket over the young teen's chest.  
  
"The Galaxystar? It will take me to Middle Earth?"  
  
"You need only speak the words, and it will be so."  
  
"But I don't know the right words. My mother only taught me a few incantations before she died. Just enough to allow me tap into it's power and allow me to transform. It is hopeless!" She felt despair begin to wrap it's fetid claws about her foundering heart.  
  
"There is alway hope, my love. Never forget that. Look at the script on your locket. It is written in the liquid form of a metal called mithril, which exists only in Middle Earth and is endowed with powers that few know of. The writing is in the language of the of the Azuka Elves, and only that language is able to unlock the secret magic in mithril. The Azuka were the most ancient and skilled of the elven race. They were masters of magic, and their craftsmen were unequalled in the creation of fine weapons and jewelry." She pointed to the girl's staff and elaborate necklace. "You and I are of that blood, and though there are few of us, the collective knowlege of the Azuka is stored within our memories. Those memories only need to be set free." And with that the flaxen-haired elf placed her hand on Serenity-Zane's head. The young girl felt her mind open, and into it flowed a silken voice, a whisper of a touch, and instantly she knew the correct words to speak. Galadriel removed her hand and stood back, gazing at the girl with such love and hope and joy as would melt away even the deepest haunts of ice in the arctic vastness around them. "It is in your hands now. Take us on our way."  
  
Serenity-Zane closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and spread her arms wide, invoking the power corruscating within her. In a breathy whisper she called out the incantation: "_Melit i'adora dama t'met._" The silver writing on the edges of the Galaxystar began to glow, and a low droning hum filled the air. Soon the glow surrounded her, blowing back her flowing garments, lifting her white hair like a wavy crest of moonlight on the shallow sea. The Galaxystar then focused the light into a narrow beam of silver which piearced the darkness before them, creating a doorway that seemed to be drawn in threads of pure icy starlight on the surface of the blackness before them. From the middle of the doorway flowed light and warmth and the fresh, sweet, invigorating smell of an Eden mortals could only have dreamt about.  
  
Galadriel smiled her felicitous smile once more, and bowed, taking the girls hand in her own. "Neo-Queen Serenity-Zane Starcatcher, Senshi of the Milky Way, Wielder of the Galaxystar which is the Crystal Flame of Cosmos, Weaver-of- Stars, Bearer of the Staff of Polaris and Holder of the Silver Thread of Heaven, you are indeed worthy of the titles you hold. Come and reclaim your place in the order of the Cosmos."  
  
And with that, the two elves stepped through the portal and into another world.

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That does it for chapter 3! I'll try to get chapter 4 up as soon as possible. (Or maybe I'll keep you all hanging for a week or two, holding out for more reviews! ::evil cackle::) Anyway, in the next chapter Serenity-Zane enters Middle Earth for the first time, and some startling revelations are in store. You better stay tuned to find out what! Buh-bye for now!!!


	4. A New World

_Now I will tell you what I've done for you  
50,000 tears I cry  
Screaming,  
Deceiving,  
And bleeding for you  
And you still won't hear me  
....GO AWAY....  
Don't want your hand this time  
I'll save myself  
Maybe I'll wake up for once (wake up for once)  
Not tormented daily defeated by you  
Just when I thought I'd reach the bottom  
  
--Evanescence, Going Under_

Chapter 4: A New World

"Serenity-Zane, welcome to Middle Earth!"  
  
The two stepped through the portal, and Serenity-Zane marvelled at the sight that met her eyes. They stood atop a lush green grassy hill brimming with a veritable rainbow of sweet-smelling wildflowers. The sky was clear and impossibly blue, and high stony mountains towered all about them, their snowy peaks glistening like glittering shards of white diamonds in the sunlight. Galadriel pointed to the great sentinals of stone.  
  
"These are called the Misty Mountains. And there, the ribbon of blue to the east? That is Anduin, the Great River. But there is little time for a tour. We must be on our way. Our friends wait for us in Rivendale." The elven woman murmured an Azuka incantation into the air, and even though it was barely a whisper, it seemed to grow strong and carry on the wind, beyon the hills and mountains like some magical breeze.  
  
Sakura-Zane wondered what her aunt was trying to accomplish by this action when she heard a horse's neigh, echoing across the valley. Suddenly, over the hill came a magnificent white stallion. It seemed to come toward them in slow motion, its main and tail billowing about it like white cloud. It stopped before Galadriel, intelligence glittering in its dark eyes as it nodded its great head at her. Galadriel patted the horse's muzzle affectionately. "This is Shadowfax, the lord of all horses," she said reverently.  
  
"Lord of horses?"  
  
"Yes. He is ancient, as old as the great wizard to whom he belongs. Gandalf the Grey allowed me to borrow him for the purpose of finding you."  
  
"You have wizards here?"  
  
Galadriel chuckled. "My, my, but you are full of questions. They will all be answered in due time. But you must have a horse of your own if you are travel to Rivendell."  
  
"But I don't have a horse"  
  
"Oh, but you do. You have only to call, and it will come."  
  
The words came to Serenity-Zane instantly. She closed her eyes and recited the incantation, but instead of coming out in a whisper like Galadriel's, it burst forth as a song, a sweet, sonorous melody that dripped like honey and gold upon any ear that heard it. The flowers upon the hill turned to her voice as if turning to the life-giving rays of the sun. Even the birds of the air wheeled about her, drawn to Serenity-Zane's song. The haunting verse resonated across the valley, over the mountains, into the crystal blue dome of the sky. When the song was done and she opened her eyes again, the breath almost left her body as she beheld what her words had conjured.  
  
Over the hill before her bounded a massive, glorious creature, finer than any horse she'd ever seen. It was black, blacker than midnight on the dark side of the moon, blacker than onyx and obsidian. Its mane was long and white as snow, a blinding white that glistened like the inside of an oyster shell in the sunlight. The tail was likewise white, but the tip was black, as if it had been dusted with coal dust. Its hooves were silver and they seemed to be engraved with elaborate curling patterns and whorls. Around its graceful neck were dozens of delicate sparkling chains of silver from which hung pearls, crystals and silver charms. Upon its right haunch were patches of white shaped like five-pointed stars. It's eyes were blue jewels flecked with silver. But the most astounding feature of this animal was the single horn protruding from its forehead. It was as long as her arm, and seemed to be made of opal and mother-of-pearl, glowing and glistening with an inner fire. The huge beast came to Serenity-Zane, looked into her eyes, and, bending its front legs, bowed to her.  
  
"This," said Galadriel, "is Galaxia, the Equine Empress, and mother to Shadowfax. He may be the Lord of Horses, but Galaxia is mother to them all. And she is yours, Sailor Starcatcher, bound to you as you are now bound to her. You can communicate with her, just as you can with any other animal."  
  
Serenity-Zane was dumbfounded. "Is this true?"  
  
Amazingly, the unicorn replied, "Aye, my lady, it is true. Long have I waited for the Summons of the Lost One to call me to Her service. Your song called me from my long sleep. Now that you are here, my purpose in life shall be fulfilled. Come, friend, climb upon my back, and I will show you what wonders there are to see!"  
  
Serenity-Zane grinned and giggled excitedly and prepared to mount the horse, when she realized the long flowing garments she wore would probably hinder her. She transformed back into Sailor Starcatcher. Her Sailor Suit was black, and trimmed with metallic silver. Three large star-shaped earrings hung from each ear, and she wore a black choker with a silver charm on the front of it. Her hair was silver again, and her eyes were their normal cerulean blue, sparkling with joy. She climbed onto Galaxia's bare back, and horse and rider bounded off over the hills.  
  
"I can run faster than any horse, my lady," said Galaxia. "I can traverse the Celestial Lanes, planes of travel that can instantly take us anywhere we need to be, in this or any other world. However, I have been Sleeping for many eons, and it will take a while for my strength to build so I can perform such duties. There is one thing I can show you, though." There was laughter in the unicorn's voice. Her hooves seem to strike the ground in a blur, and Serenity-Zane felt a wave of energy thrum about her. Then there was a flash, and Serenity-Zane gasped. Galaxia had sprouted wings! They were gigantic and black as a raven's, and flecked here and there with a few white feathers. Galaxia spread her wings, and with a powerful stroke they left the ground and floated like laughing clouds into the waiting sky.  
  
They could see all of Middle Earth from their vantage in the sky. Mountains, rivers, a great ocean and green sweeping plains teeming with villages and animals and life. "This will all be yours, my lady," said Galaxia. Once you defeat the Shadow that darkens our land, you will take your seat at the Throne of Middle Earth, and rule with peace and love. So says the Prophecy of the Azuka."  
  
Serenity-Zane felt uncomfortable with Galaxia's words. She wasn't too sure she wanted to be a Queen. It would be so much responsibility! She wanted to be free to travel the mountains and the plains of this beautiful land. She wanted to be free of all the pain and anguish that had destroyed her life. She was pulled out of her reverie by th sight of a dark, cloudy spot over the horizon to the East. "What's that?" she asked.  
  
She felt a shudder move through the animal beneath her."We must not speak of that place, my lady. Only when the time comes. We must land soon. I only have power enough for short flights, and my strength wanes." Galaxia wheeled around, soaring back to the hill where Galadrial awaited their return.  
  
-------  
  
Galadriel sat upon Shadowfax's back, watching girl and unicorn soar through the heavens with the abandon of youth. A joy came to her heart, and a sadness. Serenity-Zane was so young to be burndened with this dark destiny. She would suffer like no mortal had ever suffered, to bring Light to the world. The evil of their enemy would be defeated, but perhaps at the cost of the girl's innocence. It seemed to be the worst crime imaginable. A tear came to Galadriel's eye at the thought.  
  
_/Galadriel?/_  
  
She she-elf started slightly at the telepathic touch in her mind, then regained her composure. _/Elrond. I've awaited your call. I have found the girl./  
_  
A sensation of immense relief, a shuddering breath of precious air after long submersion in a dark, murky depth. _/The Lost One is found. All of our prayers have been answered. How does she fare?/  
_  
_/She is well, Elrond. She is just as the Azuka Propehcy predicted. She is the fairest of any elf that has ever lived, and her power outstrips even that of the Valar [A/N: the Valar are the gods of Middle Earth :-)] She is pure and innocent, untouched by corruption. She is in every way the savior we've longed for these many years./  
_  
/_Keep her safe, Galadfiel. We cannot allow the dark forces to taint her soul./  
_  
/_You have the gift of forsight, Elrond. What do you see?/  
_  
There was a pause. _/I see Serenity-Zane Starcather, Master of the Cosmos, set victorius upon the Throne of Middle Earth, with the White Mountains as her footstool and the stars as a crown upon her snowy head. I see the star Earendil as a jewel upon her brow. I see a Silver Millenium of peace and harmony between all lands and peoples of this world, wrouhgt by her graceful hand. I see her beauty and her power unmatched by any ruler to follow hence./  
_  
Galadriel smiled._ /Then there is no need for you to worry./  
_  
/_Yes, you are right. But the anxiety within me will not rest until I see her face. I know it has only been 15 years, but it feels like an eternity. I long to hold my daughter in my arms again./  
_  
Galadriel began to respond when a sound distracted her. Thinking Serenity- Zane had returned, she look around, only to be knocked from Shadowfax's back by a powerful blow. She landed on the ground hard, bruised and dizzy. When she came to her senses, she found herself looking up into the snarling, gruesome face of an orc.  
  
"Well, look what we have here," the repugnant creature chuckeled. "Looks like an elf-witch all by her lonesome. Let's have some fun with her, boys!"  
  
A chorus of hoots and growls came from behind him, as dozens of orcs closed in a circle about her. Galardiel shrunk into herself, quaking with terror, knowing the hand of death was upon her.  
  
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Heehee! Evil cliffhanger! I know, I know, but you'll have to wait until the next chapter, and I'll get it done as long as you all don't kill me first! LOL! So, what's in store for Galadriel? Will she perish at the hands of the orcs, or will she be saved? Find out in chapter 5! Ja ne!


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